I do not know anything at all about vintage bikes, so please excuse any mistakes in terminology

I found this bike in a (thankfully very dry) cellar in Italy last week, I was there to look at some vintage wine.... however I was offered this bike with another basic shopping bike for 50 euros each, and bought it (them) because I liked the look of it and also that it was so light, less than 8 kgs with all the extra bits on it, including water in the bottle!!!... it it is absolutely filthy and covered in dust and goo.... but thankfully it has been totally dry and not at all humid..so basically I'm hopeful it will clean up ok... where I have gently rubbed with a damp rag (on the black clover leaf design engraved onto of the front fork top) it is chrome and very shiny underneath as are the forks themselves , it looks like it has been in the cellar for well over 20 years or more.. the owner has died many years ago.. I was offered this bike by his wife.

Okay.. so.. the frame is a metallic red, with chrome underneath, a yellow 3 leaf clover on the frame near where the handle bars attach to the stem, two small yellow triangles up at the rear of the frame inside near where the bar that holds the rear brake calliper. Two thin yellow lines that delineate at each end between the chrome part and the metallic red part of the rear bar below the chain.

It says Colnago on the frame and on the black metal water bottle holder, the black metal water bottle holder (with some clover leaf type cut-out logo)..

There are white frame decals that say Colnago with a black 3 leaf clover motif, with two thin gold lines and colours at one end of the decal (blue, red, black, yellow, green) and at the other end of the decal two thin gold lines where they meet the metallic red part of the frame.

A gold sticker that says 'Tubi Rinforzati Garantiti' , and Acciaio (R) Speciale , and a white bird in a red oval, with COLUMBUS underneath.

A Sticker on the front main post that says Colnago in black on a white background below a black 3 leafed clover and the colours stripes of blue, red, black, yellow, green, going off diagonally to the right.

Everywhere else it only says Campagnolo apart from the brake callipers and brake levers which are matt black and they both say Modolo Equippe.

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Colnago Super. Most of your parts are '77 but I think the frame is a '76.

Is it that old? I think the crankset looks to be be quite a bit newer at least. I have a '76 NR Wilier and the crankset looks nothing like the one on this bike. Crankset is perhaps late 80s or even early nineties. Looks more like one I had on a bike I bought in 1991. They were much more squared off until the mid to late eighties at least.

The derailleurs and shift levers are older - mid 70s as GM says. I can't really comment on the frame itself. Pedals indicate a fairly high-end build, as does the NR rear mech (one down from the top-end). The handlebars are definitely not original, of course. The brakes are likely not original either. Modolos were more common as after-market upgrades, and like the crankset might be a bit newer than the frame.

I'd think you got a great deal and would make an excellent project to take it back to original spec. Don't get it refinished (please!), but clean it up and track down period specific cranks, brakes, brake levers and bars. It's potentially a great bike.

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Many thanks for the info Giuseppe...

There are two cable routing 'clips' (sorry I don't know the term) to the top tube... is this a clue to the date of the frame?

Can you tell me what are rear dropouts?...

I am wondering whether the bike was possibly made in very early 1977.. as this could explain a possible 76 frame with the 77 Camapnolo parts.. the brakes I guess were changed later (Modolo after market upgrade) and yeah the crankset is newer, which makes sense as they do wear out..

Very strange bars, but period 3ttt (as is the stem) and they look period..(old..ish)

Many thanks for the info. . So a Colnago Super from around 1977.. with a later crankset and pedals (which makes sense as they wear out)..

The frame I'm pretty certain is all original and has not been repainted. .There is a yellow painted cutout club/clover motif one the top of the downtube, two little cut out yellow triangles on the triangular supports below the rear caliper support bar, and two black painted cutout club/clover motifs one on each of the triangular supports on the inside of the fork legs below the fork crown.. also two cable 'clips' as part of the top tube... does this point to a 76? or possibly the bike was made in early 77 using a 76 frame? Any insight gratefully received. ..

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack of top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Early 80s for the cranks? Interesting. Would agree that the Modolos are after-market and also likely newer than the bike?

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack of top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Early 80s for the cranks? Interesting. Would agree that the Modolos are after-market and also likely newer than the bike?

Hmmm. Here's a Bianchi from '83 that still has the squared-off style of crankset. I'm still not sure they didn't switch to the more streamlined look with the self-extracting cranks until the early 90s.

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack of top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Early 80s for the cranks? Interesting. Would agree that the Modolos are after-market and also likely newer than the bike?

Hmmm. Here's a Bianchi from '83 that still has the squared-off style of crankset. I'm still not sure they didn't switch to the more streamlined look with the self-extracting cranks until the early 90s.

Cranks are a bit newer than I thought. Self extractors showed up in the mid-late 80's.

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Many thanks for the info Giuseppe...

There are two cable routing 'clips' (sorry I don't know the term) to the top tube... is this a clue to the date of the frame?

Can you tell me what are rear dropouts?...

I am wondering whether the bike was possibly made in very early 1977.. as this could explain a possible 76 frame with the 77 Camapnolo parts.. the brakes I guess were changed later (Modolo after market upgrade) and yeah the crankset is newer, which makes sense as they do wear out..

Very strange bars, but period 3ttt (as is the stem) and they look period..(old..ish)

Many thanks,

Nick.

The top tube cable clips were ditched for a pair of welded on cable guides 'in 77, longer dropouts also showed up that year. Tough to get exact on dates with Colnago from this era, they didn't start date formatting their serial numbers until a decade or more later.

Giuseppe Magnetico wrote:Cranks are early '80's, the rest is pretty much all '77. The two major features that are telling on this frame for a pre '77 is the lack of top tube cable routing and the shorter rear dropouts.

Early 80s for the cranks? Interesting. Would agree that the Modolos are after-market and also likely newer than the bike?

Colnagos got straight bladed forks in the 1980's i believe and the bars are definitely changed. this bike would have been built with drop bars but the person preferred to sit upright. A very high end run about. as dirty as it looks there is little rust on it either. the rims are also anodized and I think might be newer than 1980. Little brake track wear on the rims

Master50 wrote:Colnagos got straight bladed forks in the 1980's i believe and the bars are definitely changed. this bike would have been built with drop bars but the person preferred to sit upright. A very high end run about. as dirty as it looks there is little rust on it either. the rims are also anodized and I think might be newer than 1980. Little brake track wear on the rims

The striaight bar was period.. and 3TT.. but yes it was changed (as previous owner prefered it).. I have since sourced from a vendor in Sweden and fitted a correct and period 3TT Competizioni drop bar, with NOS Colnago 'Bianco' tape and NOS 3TT chrome end caps...

Over the summer the bike was completly dismantled, carefully cleaned, and put back together with the correct drop bars and brand new tyres.. everything else was retained (old speedo thingy removed).

It was like new under the many years of dust and dirt, only with a few small marks here and there which were left alone..

The condition is remarkable.. tottally original.. no rust at all.. only dust and dirt.. having been left in the cellar for decades..

The consensus seems to be.. original unrestored (only cleaned) 1977 Colnago 'Super' with later 80's Campagnolo 'Chorus' chain set.. the frame may be very late 76.. (accoring to an expert)

My Colnago 'Super' went on take part in the 80km "Intrepida" vintage bike race in Tuscany. Italy in Oct 2017, which had over 800 riders... and was much admired.

I will add the 'after' photos to the photo album.. link near top of post.. as it seems I am not able to post photos here..